Orange Date Pecan Tea Bread

This is  more of a bread, not a cake. Some of my other tea breads on this site, especially those done when I first started the site, are more "cake-like" in texture. This is a light, sweet bread that just begs you to slather lots of sweet cream butter all over it. Has a great crust. The flavor is not as intense as many of the others I have made. However, I do plan to develop a dark bread that is darker, and with more intense flavors.

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup white sugar

½ cup brown sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons salad oil

1 tablespoon Grand Marnier

1 ½ cups half and half

6 whole cardamom pods

1 egg

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup finely chopped dates

Directions

1.      Line the bottom of a standard sized loaf pan with parchment paper. Grease and flour sides.

2.      In a large bowl, mix the flour, salt, baking powder, and chopped nuts.

3.      In another bowl, place the chopped dates, oil and Grand Marnier liqueur. Set aside

4.      Bring the sugars, cardamom pods, and half and half to a simmer, or just until the sugar is dissolved. Crush the pods against the sides of the saucepan. Remove the pods then pour this warm mixture over the dates and let that site for about 15 minutes, until cool.

5.      Lightly whisk the egg, and add this to the half and half mixture.

6.      Add the wet mixtures to the dry and mix until just combined. Make sure no islands of dry ingredients remain.

7.      Pour batter into the loaf pan, and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 65-75 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, and the top has a golden brown crust. Remove from oven. Allow to cool and invert bread to cool on a rack.

Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies

I wanted to try incorporating Arrowroot flour into my oatmeal cookies. Arrowroot give an additional crunch, and hardness to cookies, which I though would compliment the Durum flour that also adds those characteristics. The result is outstanding, and the additional salt that I used gave the cookies a salted caramel flavor.

1/3 cup butter

1/4 cup shortening

1/4 cup of any Nut Butter, depending on your preference e.g. Almond, Peanut, Cashew etc

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 egg

2 tablespoons 100% Maple Syrup

1 teaspoon vinegar

½ cup Durum Atta flour

½ cup arrowroot flour

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 cup chopped pecans

1 1/2 cup oats

1/2 cup oat bran

½ cup flax meal

½ cup puffed Millet

1/2 cup toffee or butterscotch chips

Directions

1.      If desired, lightly toast chopped pecans in a large wok until the nuts take on a light brown color and smell fragrant. Watch carefully as the nuts can burn very easily!

2.      Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl, along with the spices, nuts , and butterscotch chips

3.      Cream the butters and sugars until fluffy. Add the egg and beat until combined.  Add maple syrup and vinegar.

4.      Add the dry ingredients in 2-3 batches, mixing at low speed to form a dough.

5.      Pack the dough into a ¼ cup size measuring cup that has been coated with a little vegetable oil. Invert these on to a parchment lined cookie sheet. Drop dough by rounded tablespoons on to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Using the bottom of a glass that has been coated with vegetable oil, flatten the dough to form a biscuit, about 3 ½-4 inches in diameter. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes,. Remove, allow to cool for 10 minutes, and then put back in oven at 275 degrees Fahrenheit for another hour if you want crisp edges with a slightly chewy center, bake for one hour and twenty minutes if you want a completely crisp cookie.  Cool and store in an airtight container.

Oat Sesame Flax Breakfast Cookies

These are large cookies with a little bit of everything but not too much of any one ingredient! They have a satisfying crunch, and go well with morning coffee or just a glass of milk. It's a way to eat a variety of nutrients, and one that tastes so good! The Durum Atta flour is essential to give the crunch to the cookies but some substitutions that can be made are to use any of the raw brown sugars (Colombian Panela, Mexican Piloncillo) for the refined brown sugar, and Palm Sugar for the white or refined granulated sugar. Caramel or toffee chips can be substituted for the chocolate. For a darker cookie, molasses may be substituted for the maple syrup but you will have to add a teaspoon of vanilla for flavor.

1/4 cup butter

¼ cup shortening

1/4 cup Almond Butter

1 cup brown sugar

¼ cup white sugar

1 egg

¼ cup water

2 tablespoons 100% Maple Syrup

½ cup Durum Atta flour

½ cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ cup chopped pecans

½ cup sesame seeds

1 1/2 cup oats

½ cup oat bran

½ cup flax meal

½ cup puffed Millet

¼ cup dark chocolate chips

Directions

1.      Lightly toast the sesame seeds and chopped pecans in a large wok until the seeds take on a light brown color and smell fragrant. Watch carefully as the seeds can burn very easily!

2.      Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl, along with the spices, and the nuts , sesame seeds and chocolate chips

3.      Melt the butters, sugars, water, at low heat. Bring to a simmer and remove from heat. Add maple syrup and vinegar when cool.

4.      Lightly beat egg then add to dry ingredients along with cooled melted butter and sugar mixture. Mix to form a dough.

5.      Pack the dough into a ¼ cup size measuring cup that has been coated with a little vegetable oil. Invert these on to a parchment lined cookie sheet. Drop dough by rounded tablespoons on to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Using the bottom of a glass that has been coated with vegetable oil, flatten the dough to form a biscuit, about 3 ½-4 inches in diameter. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes,. Remove, allow to cool for 10 minutes, and then put back in oven at 275 degrees Fahrenheit for another 30 minutes. Cool and store in an airtight container.